Blindsided (Indigo Love Spectrum) (39 page)

“Happy and quiet kids. I’m not complaining,” Ryan
said, relinquishing his spot on the couch to Norris.

“You two look right at home with babies in your
arms,” Lara said, smiling brightly at the duo. “Don’t you
think so, Ryan?”

“I do,” he said, wrapping his arm around Lara and
settling in the loveseat across from the couch. “It’s a great
picture.”

Dahlia pressed her lips together to keep from
laughing out loud. Lara and Ryan were definitely not
keeping their opinions on her and Norris as a couple to
themselves.

“You guys want to cut it out?” Norris said.

Ryan and Lara shrugged. “What?” they said in
unison.

“You know what.”

The married couple smiled brightly but said nothing
more.

Brianna’s olive complexion reddened as wails filled
the air and distressed tears filled her brown eyes.

“I think somebody’s hungry,” said Dahlia.

Norris walked over to Lara and handed her the crying
baby. “Here you go, Lara. I think this is a job for Mama.”

“Yes, it’s feeding time for them, and if I know my son,
he’s going to . . .”

Christopher’s wails broke into Lara’s words.

“Just as I expected,” she said.

“Chris doesn’t like his big sister Bri to dine without him,” Ryan said, gathering the baby boy from Dahlia’s
arms.

“Speaking of dining, it’s time I get some food into
this beautiful lady,” Norris said, taking Dahlia’s hand and
helping her from the couch. “I’ll get Reese.”

Lara moved over to Dahlia when Norris left, gently
shaking a quieter Bri. “Should I be hopeful? I know
Norris is.”

Dahlia smiled and said, “Yeah, I think you should.”

* * *

“You’ve been pretty quiet since we left Ryan and
Lara’s, Norris,” Dahlia said, finishing the last bite of her
grilled salmon. “What’s on your mind?” As if she didn’t
already know. The look in his eyes spoke volumes.

“Guess.” Norris reached for her hand. “Reese
deciding to stay at Ryan and Lara’s wasn’t by chance,” he
said. “My daughter could tell I wanted to be alone with
you.”

Dahlia wiped her mouth and drank the last of her tea.
Zixby’s Surf & Turf had some of the best food, but the
iced tea was even better. She lowered the glass to find
Norris staring. She smiled. Deciding to open her heart to
him hadn’t come easily, but she wanted to do just that.
What she didn’t want was to have this long-awaited con
versation in public.

“I can handle some alone time with you.” She gave
his hand a squeeze. “My place?”

Norris nodded. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Dahlia said very little on the ride back to her house,
her thoughts on how to say words she never thought she’d say to another man. She practically floated inside
her house. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

Norris followed her to the couch. “You always accuse
me of vanity, but I can’t help but think I have a little
something to do with that smile you can’t wipe off your face tonight.”

Dahlia chuckled. “Maybe a little something.”

“Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“I think you can guess.”

“
I can. I’ve just—I’ve waited so long for this.”
She nodded. “I know.”

Norris pulled her into his lap, curling his arms
around her waist. “All right, Ms. Sinclair, you have my
undivided attention.” He pecked her lips. “Talk to me.”

Dahlia trailed the back of her fingers against Norris’s
smooth cheeks, tracing the lines of his handsome face.
She lowered her head, breathing in his scent. Her lips
repeated his soft kiss. “There’s only one thing left to say,
Norris. I love you. I’ve loved you for so long. Fighting it
was hard, but fighting you was even harder. Being in
Atlanta helped me. The place my life came crashing
down turned out to be the place where you helped me
build it back up. Confronting my sister and Jonah and
putting all that anger, hurt, and fear where it belonged—
it cleansed me. You gave me strength to deal with all that.
And not just in Atlanta. Every time I needed you, no
matter what I said to the contrary, you were there.
Supporting me and loving me. When you left Atlanta, I
knew I was ready to embrace my love for you. Can you
ever forgive me for making you wait so long to hear what
you already knew?”

“Oh, my sweet, beautiful Dahlia.” Norris kissed her
cheeks, forehead, chin, nose, and then softly kissed her
lips. “You are the love of my life, my one and only love. There is nothing to forgive. You and Reese. I love two of
the most stubborn, beautiful women in the world. I’ve
learned patience.” He brought her into a warm embrace.
“We’re an ‘us’ now?”

Dahlia nodded. “Yes.”

“We get to go on real dates, too?”

Dahlia chuckled. “Yes, we do. And, if you don’t mind, I want to just date. You know?”

“No more arrangement?” he said ever so slowly.

She nodded. “Yeah. No point in confusing things. It was your suggestion, and I think it was a good one. We
know what we’re great at. Let’s see if we can eclipse that.”

“No arrangement. I said that. I did. Well, uh, I guess
the place I want us to go for our first date as a couple is very appropriate.”

“Where’s that?”

“Sweet Zion tomorrow. I have a standing date with
Grandma Flora.”

Soft sighs and low moans joined the faint sounds of
love songs playing on the stereo. Norris held Dahlia
closer to him and deepened their kiss. Nearly two
months into their courtship and almost five months into
a life of abstinence, Norris hadn’t been happier or more
frustrated. Dahlia’s soft backside on his lap made things
that much harder. Oh, so much harder.

He broke the kiss and nuzzled her neck. “Dahlia,
sweetheart, I think we need to amend our amended
arrangement.”

Dahlia’s butterfly kisses on his neck deepened his
moans and his need. “I thought you were the master of
restraint,” she said. “Weren’t you the one always apolo
gizing and rushing off when I kissed you?”

“That was before. We’ve come so far since then. I love
you so much, Dahlia. I want to show you.”

“I love you, too, Norris, and you’ve already shown me.”

“I can show you so much more.” He kissed her softly
and pulled away, looking into her eyes. “You know by
now this is not just a physical thing.”

“I’ve known that for a while, Norris.”

“We want the same thing, don’t we?”

D
ahlia nodded. “I think we do,” she said, curling her
arms around his neck and joining her lips with his.

“You two!” Reese groaned, bringing an end to their
kiss and a disappointed moan from Norris. “Aren’t you
supposed to be planning my party?” She closed the front
door and made her way over. “This looks to be a two-
person party, and not the ideal planning session I
expected for my blowout birthday bash.”

“You’re back early, Reese,” Dahlia said.

“Early? It’s eleven-thirty. I would like a later curfew but . . .” Reese turned her gaze to Norris.

“Eleven-thirty is late enough,” Norris said. Especially
when the time was spent with smile-inducing Jack.
“Where did the time go?” Dahlia wondered.

“I can only imagine.” Reese laughed as Dahlia stayed
perched on Norris’s lap. “How’s my party planning going?”

“Great.” Norris answered. “In fact, we’re done.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Dahlia piped in.

“Cool. Then you two can go back to whatever you
were doing.” With a wave of her hand, Reese went off to
her room.

“Think she’s excited about the party?” Dahlia giggled.
“Maybe just a smidge,” Norris said. “If it’s not every
thing she hopes, she’s gonna let me hear about it.”

“You have nothing to worry about. She’s going to be
blown away. You have some big surprises for her.”

“I might have one or two for you, too.”

Dahlia raised a perfectly arched brow. “For me?
What?”

Norris shrugged. “You’ll see in two weeks.”

* * *

Dahlia grabbed her purse and raced for the door.
Reese’s party started in an hour and a half, and there were
a few last minute details she needed to check at Sandy
Run, the banquet facility they’d booked for the party.

She swung open the door to find an attractive, taste
fully dressed brunette woman, who seemed to be a young
sixty-something, about to ring her bell.

“May I help you with something?” Dahlia asked.

“I think you just might,” the woman said. “My name
is Genevieve Converse.”

Dahlia blinked, surprised to learn her visitor was
Norris’s mother. She wanted to be cordial, but after what she’d heard from Norris and Reese and given the fact she
was running late, playing nice to this woman wasn’t
much of a priority. “I was just on my way out,” she said.

“It will only take a few minutes.”

I don’t have a few minutes!
Dahlia flashed a tight smile.
“Fine. Do you want to come in?” she asked.

Genevieve peeked around Dahlia as if to check the
place for armed felons. “Perhaps that would be okay.” She
slowly walked inside, taking in the house from ceiling to
floor. “This is a charming little place you have.
Amazingly well-kept.”

Dahlia had never considered her twenty-five-hun
dred-square-foot house little, and the comment about it
b
eing well kept . . . She sucked in a breath. “What’s on
your mind, Mrs. Converse?”

“You and my son. The last time we spoke, he threat
ened—” Genevieve cleared her throat and started again.
“He intimated you two were seriously involved and con
templating marriage. Is that true?”

Dahlia folded her arms, annoyed by the woman’s
presence and her initial choice of words. “Ask Norris,”
she said.

“Norris tends to
color
the truth for me. He’s always been ungrateful for everything he’s had, all the privilege
my family’s wealth afforded him. As a result, he does
things to get attention, be it truth or lies. I want to hear
this from you. Are you going to marry my son?”

“What if I am?”

“Is that your answer?”

“No, ma’am, that’s my question to you. What would
be the attention-grabber in Norris marrying me?” Dahlia
asked, curious if the woman would answer the way she
expected.

Genevieve wrinkled her nose and sighed, exasperated.
“You people are so touchy. I asked a simple question.”

“You people?” Dahlia repeated. “What people?
Columbia graduates? Business owners? Or would it be
the common black woman kind of people?”

“You know precisely what I mean. Norris mentioned
you’ve managed to make something of yourself, but it
doesn’t make you right for him. That is, if he’s really
interested in you. I have my doubts about that.”

M
rs. Converse had her doubts.
Dahlia grunted. Why
didn’t that surprise her? Never had she been more
empowered by her complete love for Norris than she was
in this moment. Dahlia met Genevieve’s bitter gaze.